Op/Ed

Time To Speak Up for Florida Panther

Posted July 24, 2017 07:30 am | Op-Ed

By
Kate MacFall

Heads up, citizens: the federal government is about
to review the endangered status of one of our state’s
rarest species — the Florida panther — and now is the
time for all of us to make our voices heard.

We Floridians clearly love our wild and mysterious
panthers. In 1981, the state’s schoolchildren chose the
panther as our official state animal over other animal
contenders like alligators and manatees.

Biologists estimate that, at most, only 230 or fewer
Florida panthers exist on Earth. Compare that to
Florida’s human population, which has reached 20.6
million. Federal protections for Florida panthers are as
essential as ever to prevent the big cats from going
extinct. No scientific justification exists to strip
panthers of their endangered species protection, and
there is simply no pressing need to do so.

This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review comes at a
time when panther deaths on Florida roads are outpacing
the number of documented panther births. The statistics
are alarming.

Last year alone, an average of three panthers a month
died on our roadways as they traveled in search of food
and mates. So far, this year 13 panthers have been
struck and killed on roads. These highway deaths come on
top of other causes of mortality, including poaching,
predation on kittens and disease.

The road toll alone is too high to be sustainable.
Every year since 2012, Florida has set a new record for
the number of panthers killed by vehicles.

Our panther population will face continual threats
because massive new developments are planned for the
southwest Florida lands that are the panther’s last
home. Strip malls, housing developments, and new roads
will all greatly impair Florida panthers’ prospects for
survival.

Panthers are particularly vulnerable to human threats
due to their already low numbers and because they
require large ranges. Biologists know that the leading
cause of species extinction around the world is habitat
loss and human persecution. With developers encroaching
more dramatically in southwest Florida, the panthers
need the protection the Endangered Species Act provides
more than ever.

We know too well how fragile our Florida panther
population is. The cats were put on the Endangered
Species list in 1967. In the 1990s, the population
dwindled to just 20 to 30 cats before intensive rescue
efforts began to save the species from extinction. The
progress made in reviving their population should not be
prematurely dismantled now. Unlike all other mountain
lion subspecies, Florida panthers are specially adapted
to their Big Cypress Swamp and Everglades habitats.

How can you do something about this?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public
comment about reviewing the Florida panthers’ endangered
species protections until Aug. 29. We must let the
federal government know we value Florida’s wild heritage
and we want our panthers protected. Input should be sent
to biologist David Shindle through one of the following
methods: